PULPIT VOICES: WHAT NAZARENES ARE PREACHING

By Stephen Green

Lent is a season that leads church going people through the conflicts that surround the life and death of Jesus. It is a time of not only remembering the story of Christ’s suffering, but of looking into one’s own life and reflecting upon the struggles that each of us have with Jesus. Jesus not only died for us, but also calls all disciples to die with him.

In this holy season of the year I desire to participate with the assigned readings of the church universal. These readings are called Lectionary readings. There are various Lectionaries, but most of them share the common texts. Because of the extended tradition that I find myself in as a Nazarene minister, I feel most at home reading the Lectionary with the Anglican community. The following texts are found in the Anglican lectionary readings. I have included with the texts for each day a proposed sermon title. It is my hope that the reader be able to discern the angle within which I am going to attempt to preach from these texts.

Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 & 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
“An Alarm in the Night”

First Sunday of Lent
Luke 4:1-13
“The Temptations of Jesus”

Second Sunday of Lent
Luke 13:31-35
“Religious Self-Deception”

Third Sunday of Lent
Luke 13:1-9
“Repentance of the Religious Right”

Fourth Sunday of Lent
Luke 15:11-32
“The Father Who Waits for Both Sons”

Fifth Sunday of Lent
Luke 20:9-19
“What Would Cause the Religious to Murder?”

Palm Sunday
Luke 23:1-49
“The Religious Cry: Away With Him”

Maundy Thursday
Luke 22:14-30
“Who Gathers At His Table?”

Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13-53
“The Servant and His People”

Easter
Luke 24:1-10
“Why Search Among the Dead?”

The majority of texts are found in Luke’s Gospel. The specific texts seem to point to the misunderstandings that finally cost Jesus his life. My desire is to probe these texts to discover what was so threatening about Jesus to the religious people of his day. The church must never forget that it was the religious who clamored for Jesus’ life. The belief is that in discovering the threat that the Kingdom brings into the lives of religious people will allow us to discover within our own lives and church the threats that Jesus and his Kingdom pose to us. The goal of this series is to bring the church not only to awareness of that which separates us from God, but also to repentance and reconciliation.

Several excellent commentary resources for the Gospel of Luke that have been particularly helpful are:

Fred Craddock, Luke

Hans Conzelmann, The Theology of St. Luke

Eric Franklin, Christ the Lord: A Study in the Purpose and Theology of Luke-Acts

Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke

I. Howard Marshall, Commentary on Luke

Charles Talbert, Reading Luke: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Third Gospel

Robert Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts: A Literary Interpretation
May the Lord bless all who preach the Gospel!

Stephen Green is the Senior Pastor of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene and Professor of Theology at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.